No comments about Matthew Ritchie: More Than the Eye: Paintings, Sculpture, Multimedia Installations, Animations, Films, Drawings....

5 comments about The Art and Craft of Collage.

1. These days 'collage' materials can be found at most craft stores. And many, many books are being churned out with the
   main goal of making money. Most of these books are so-so and some are a waste of paper.
   
   I feel this book takes a step away from the 'recipe' type collage books. It comes from a design perspective with emphasis. It's about choosing images and manipulating them to create a new meaning.
   
   If your interest is in images and type I'd also like to recommend It Is Beautiful...Then Gone by Martin Venezky.



2. This book is one I bought a while back when I had some money burning a hole in my pocket and it has stood the test of time. The focus is not on specific projects (like decoupaging your wastebasket) but on an overview of collage history and techniques. The book doesn't give step-by-step information- what it does give is specific information on the processes used to create the numerous collages beautifully depicted in the book.

   Between the collages shown and the techniques described, I get fired up every time I look at this book. It has inspired me in photography, collage and digital imaging. Collage is definitely something that can be created through a multiplicity of methods and Larbalestier's numerous examples and technique tidbits illustrate the point well. This is a book that works well in conjunction with more specific technique oriented books, specific classes (like photography), or as a visual boost when looking for a new approach or inspiration.

   Books of this calibre aren't easily found on the typical Arts and Crafts bookshelf at the store. I almost wish that I hadn't seen this book so I could have the pleasure of discovering it all over again.




3. one of my friends had this book way way back in the day, like in grade or middle skool. i thought it was the most amazing thing before or since sliced bread. especially cuz i couldn't find it anywhere and his was the only one i'd ever seen.

   anyway early last semester i came across an old notebook with the title and author written on it, and it had been a long time since i'd even thought of this book, but i remembered how great i used to think it was and instantly looked it up and scored a copy.

   i was prepared to be disappointed the way that you are when you watch an old episode of he-man and you can't believe you ever liked anything quite that...whatever. in this case, it's not that bad. this book looks elementary, and it is. it's not even so much a "how-to" as a general overview of various techniques and materials. but for what it's worth, the illustrations are quite nice, although not exactly as astounding as they were when i was 12 - joseph cornell has since ruined me for all rivals. it's helpful in that it tells you (in many cases) which media and techniques were used for which pieces, so that you might visually learn about crackle varnish or photomontage or some other process or medium with which you were previously unfamiliar.

   basic, elementary, but decent, with pretty pictures.




4. The only reason I didn't give this a 5 star rating is because I am not interested in applying photography processes or photocopying in my artwork. Atleast not at this point. I'm still pretty new to collage art and found this book a little over my head. While it might not have had what I was looking for, I was impressed by the way this book was put together.



5. I own several books on collage and I found this one to be completely different from the rest. Rather than step-by-step projects it focuses on explaining a wide variety of techniques you can use in your artwork. There are lots of new ideas here that are not discussed in the other collage books.

   The book starts out a brief history of collage and an overview of art styles such cubism and pop art. Then various collage assembly methods and approaches are discussed. Some include using different adhesives, varnishes and paints. There are some great tips on three-dimensional construction.

   Many mechanical methods that use computers and copiers are next. Some techniques include blurring, distorting and altering the color of images. This is great for those unfamiliar with computers who would like to use them to make fantastic pieces of art.

   My favorite section focuses on manipulating photographs. It starts out with basic information on cameras & films. Then it a reviews photographic editing techniques including bleaching, toning, lith-printing, film sandwiching, creating multiple exposures, making photograms and using liquid light to transfer your image to a variety of surfaces.

   There are also many inspiring full-color artwork examples throughout the book. I found the artwork here to have a different tone than the other collage books I own. You won't find lots of flowers of butterflies here. It tends to be more eclectic or modern than pretty. The accompanying captions in combination with a listing in the back tell the title, size and artist's name as well a bit about the piece and how it was made. Each of the artist's (most are British) addresses are listed as well. A glossary, index and a small list of suppliers are also included. If you are looking for some fresh ideas and new techniques to use in your next collage, this is the book for you.

1 comments about Hopi & Pueblo Tiles: An Illustrated History.

1. This book is the first book specifically about Hopi & Pueblo Tile ever written. It is well researched and easy to read. I believe it would have been better with footnotes and specific acknowledgements but after talking to the authors, I found that the publisher limited the amount and type of material. I hope the authors continue their research and produce more information on this fascinating subject.

No comments about Twentieth Century Lefton China and Collect (Schiffer Military History).

3 comments about German Expressionist Prints: The Specks Collection at the Milwaukee Museum of Art.

1. This book opens with a sequence of images which shows how good it might have been. Each image is given a full page, unencumbered with text, and thus obtains its full power. Unfortunately, that's where it ends, as most of the rest of the book is like looking through somebody's stamp collection, with up to 5 images a page!. There are simply too many images crammed in, so, instead of enjoying the prints for what they are, you are left wondering what they would have looked like had they been presented properly. This is especially unfortunate when you realise prints are an ideal opportunity to present the work as the artist might have wished - since, unlike paintings, they are actually intended for reproduction.
   
   So, useful if you want just an academic catalogue record of everything that is in the Marcia and Granvil Specks collection, but pretty useless otherwise.



2. An impressive collaborative project of the Hudson Hills Press and the Milwaukee Art Museum, German Expressionist Prints: The Marcia And Granvil Specks Collection is a striking artbook portraying black and white imagery, reflecting the positive and negative facets of German life from the 1890s to the 1930s. Bold figures of over 475 prints with brief biographies of the artists who created them and commentaries upon the art form itself make German Expressionist Prints a "must" especially for art history buff supplemental reading lists in general, and academic library German art history collections in particular!



3. German Expressionist Prints: The Marcia and Granvil Specks Collection at the Milwaukee Art Museum by Stephanie D'Alessandro, James Deyoung, David Gordon, Reinhold Heller, Sarah B. Kirk, Kristin Marholm, Gretchen L. Wagner, Milwaukee Museum of Art (Hudson Hills Press) 531 colorplates and 9 black-and-white illustrations A good overview of prints by early 20th Century masters.
   Widely acclaimed as one of the most significant bodies of German Expressionist prints in the United States, The Marcia and Granvil Specks Collection is noted for its high quality, breadth, and profound graphic power. In celebration of its gift to the Milwaukee Art Museum, it is presented here for the first time as a whole, as a body of imagery that reveals the myriad concerns of the age-the joys and pain of life in Germany from the 1890s to the 1930s.
   The Specks collection is a vast mirror reflecting that complicated and fiery period when printmaking asserted itself, when images impressed on paper became the most profound and exacting expressions of the age. From the tragic and sorrowful prints of Käthe Kollwitz to the profoundly human religious woodcuts of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff to the biting satire of radical artist George Grosz, the collection illuminates the sense of urgency, originality, and vision of a wide range of artists, all attempting to limn a shifting world of despair, hope, and renewal in the fragile years from the Second Empire to the rise of the Nazis. Etchings and drypoints of biting spontaneity and intensity, lithographs of corrosive ingenuity, woodcuts to stir the soul, heralded an era of individuality and democracy in visions of a new society that could be reproduced, illustrated, and mass produced to reach the most remote and casual of observers. Emotionally, technically, and rebelliously, prints offered artists fresh directions and challenges at a time of intense preoccupation and ultimately disillusionment with society and the world.
   Within this broad terrain, the publication of The Marcia and Granvil Specks Collection constitutes an extraordinary opportunity to delve assiduously into an entire generation of remarkable images and artists. The stunning quality and vast range of prints, personally researched and selected by the Specks during countless trips to Europe over three decades, offer riches unparalleled in any other American collection of Expressionist prints-everything from the most iconic, rare impressions to remarkable prints by artists little known in the United States. In its totality the collection invites repeated viewing and comparison of similar themes and media by an array of artists over several decades. In its specifics there are areas of strength that reach the highest levels of excellence, importance, and expressive mastery.
   In addition to the illustrated catalogue of over 475 prints accompanied by biographies of the artists, the book includes essays discussing issues of visual culture and representation by leading scholars in the field: Reinhold Heller, Professor of the History of Art at the University of Chicago; and Stephanie D'Alessandro, Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Art Institute of Chicago. The Milwaukee Art Museum's Senior Conservator James deYoung contributes a study of the papers used in their prints.

No comments about Glazes for the Studio Potter.

No comments about Nestler Girls.

5 comments about The Art of Mosaics: A Guide to the History, Materials, Equipment and Techniques.

1. Being a tile professional and something of a "tile geek", I found "The Art of Mosaics" to be an excellent resource with complex processes explained and demonstrated in a very complete manner. Mr. Chavarria does an excellent job also in providing detailed information on tools, techniques, materials and structural design for serious mosaic work. This is NOT a book of backyard birdbaths and picture frames. While the criticisms of the work depicted are accurate (they aren't attractive at all), I believe his intention was not to impress but to illustrate technique. In that regard, he excells. An inspirational resource that I never tire of recommending to my friends and associates with serious interests in tile mosaics and it's many forms.



2. It's not for an amateur craftsman (artist).
   If you want to get into this highly profitable and highly competitive
   ancient art of mosaics this book is for you.
   But this art resemble very much masonary.



3. This is a very comprehensive book full of usefull information, however it is a book for those serious in learning the craft of the mosaic. If you are looking to see prety mosaic works and want to do home products this is not for you. This book does offer a great history of the art of mosaics. I found it to have the most comprehensive tool and technique section of most other books.



4. For those who want to get into "building" mosaics-concrete slabs and 3-D objects d'art-this book tells all. It's for serious commercial mosaicists rather than weekend crafters, hobbyists, or even full-time crafters. The materials are expensive; the equipment, cumbersome. You need a large workshop for many of these projects. In addition, the work is kind of-well, ugly! It's filled with complicated but dull geometrics in discordant colors. Chavarria's book has been in a box to be returned since it was given to me months ago on my birthday. I have decided to keep it on the off chance I get some commercial commissions. Then it might be a handy reference.



5. The reason I don't give this book a one-star rating is because it does have comprehensive information on various kinds of stone (you don't see that very much), tools and a bit of interesting laying technique. And I give him credit for attempting mosaics on three-dimensional sculpted objects, though to my taste they are dreadful, and he does give a fairly good overview on bases and adhesives. But the projects? Is horrendous too strong of a word?

1 comments about Jake And Dinos Chapman.

1. For the price of $36.50 or whatever it is, it isn't much of a book. I had a gift certificate so it was painless for me. I do like the Chapman bros. and enjoyed reading the book. It does give you some insight into what they're all about and the photos are well done and nicely printed. I would like the book to have been bigger, it's only 5 3/4" by 7 1/2". It's in English and German and had they printed seperate versions I think they could have done a better job.

1 comments about The Art of Caretta Hardcover Edition.

1. If you like girls, humor and great art, and Caretta's art, then this book is really for you, superb art every page in glorious water colour, printed on gloss stock bound to keep very easily. Since Caretta's stuff is hard to come by, this a worthy buy, even if you just plain like sexy cute girls.